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DETROIT – General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) today reported July U.S. sales of 201,237 vehicles, down 6 percent compared with a year ago. Sales to retail customers declined 3 percent. Sales to rental fleet customers declined 41 percent, in line with the company’s previous guidance.

In July, Cadillac sales were up 21 percent thanks to strong across-the-board results for the CTS, Escalade, SRX and the all-new XTS.

“Cadillac hit a home run and our newest Chevrolets and Buicks are performing very well,” said Kurt McNeil, vice president, U.S. Sales Operations. “Signs of a housing recovery and good news on consumer confidence and household income should help keep the light vehicle selling rate in the 14-million range and drive seasonally higher truck sales as we move toward fall.”

All of GM newest vehicles performed well in July. Buick Verano sales were 4,235 units and have increased each month since the car launched in December 2011. Chevrolet Sonic sales were 6,278 units and it has been the retail sales leader in its segment since April 2012. In addition, Chevrolet Spark deliveries were 1,460 in its first month on sale.

GM’s combined retail sales of mini- , small, and compact cars were up 41 percent year over year. Retail passenger car sales in total were up 3 percent, crossover sales were up 2 percent and truck sales were down 12 percent.

Two all-new vehicles – the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu four-cylinder and Cadillac ATS – are now in production. Vehicles launching later this year include the Buick Verano Turbo, Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Malibu Turbo, Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia.

GM said last month that sales to rental customers would be down sharply in July because planned deliveries occurred earlier in the year compared with 2011. GM’s commercial fleet sales were up 41 percent, the 28th consecutive monthly increase. Strong police vehicle deliveries to state and local agencies helped drive a 115 percent increase in government sales. Total fleet sales were down 15 percent.

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Last Sunday night, workers at General Motors' CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario went on strike due to the automaker and Unifor Local 88 being unable to reach a tentative agreement. The plant where the majority of the Chevrolet Equinoxes are built has been shut down since. Now the side effects are the strike are beginning to be felt.
At least 255 workers at GM's St. Catharines, Ontario plant have been given temporary layoff notices that begin tomorrow. St. Catharines is where the transmissions for the Equinox are built. According to Automotive News, workers spent the week stockpiling transmissions.
"We supply about 90 per cent of (CAMI's) transmissions, so it's related to that. Even though they were down, we ran all week ... We have a lot of transmissions stockpiled now because we didn't know if they were going to resolve it this week or not. It doesn't look like they're going to," said Tim McKinnon, chairman of Unifor Local 199 that represents St. Catharines.
“We’re off until they get it settled. Every time they sneeze, we catch a cold. If they pick up more volume, we pick up more volume.”
GM announced late last week that it is making production adjustments at St. Catharines, Spring Hill, and Flint Engine Operations. Both Spring Hill and Flint provide the engines for the Equinox. Also last week, Canadian supplier Magna International said it would suspend the supply of parts.
The top concerns for the two sides are very different. For GM, it is the worry of having enough supply of Equnoxes for the demand. Sales rose 85 percent year-over-year in August. While GM does also build the Equinox in San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, the two plants cannot match the output of CAMI (40,017 for the Mexican plants vs. 132,288 for CAMI). For Unifor, they want assurances that CAMI will remain the lead plant for the Equinox and want another product for the plant to build.
Unifor has reached out to GM on Wednesday on possibly restarting negotiations. At this time, no word on whether two have or will meet.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), The Canadian Press via CBC

Last Sunday night, workers at General Motors' CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario went on strike due to the automaker and Unifor Local 88 being unable to reach a tentative agreement. The plant where the majority of the Chevrolet Equinoxes are built has been shut down since. Now the side effects are the strike are beginning to be felt.
At least 255 workers at GM's St. Catharines, Ontario plant have been given temporary layoff notices that begin tomorrow. St. Catharines is where the transmissions for the Equinox are built. According to Automotive News, workers spent the week stockpiling transmissions.
"We supply about 90 per cent of (CAMI's) transmissions, so it's related to that. Even though they were down, we ran all week ... We have a lot of transmissions stockpiled now because we didn't know if they were going to resolve it this week or not. It doesn't look like they're going to," said Tim McKinnon, chairman of Unifor Local 199 that represents St. Catharines.
“We’re off until they get it settled. Every time they sneeze, we catch a cold. If they pick up more volume, we pick up more volume.”
GM announced late last week that it is making production adjustments at St. Catharines, Spring Hill, and Flint Engine Operations. Both Spring Hill and Flint provide the engines for the Equinox. Also last week, Canadian supplier Magna International said it would suspend the supply of parts.
The top concerns for the two sides are very different. For GM, it is the worry of having enough supply of Equnoxes for the demand. Sales rose 85 percent year-over-year in August. While GM does also build the Equinox in San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, the two plants cannot match the output of CAMI (40,017 for the Mexican plants vs. 132,288 for CAMI). For Unifor, they want assurances that CAMI will remain the lead plant for the Equinox and want another product for the plant to build.
Unifor has reached out to GM on Wednesday on possibly restarting negotiations. At this time, no word on whether two have or will meet.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), The Canadian Press via CBC

Last night, workers at General Motors' CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario went on strike. GM and Unifor Local 88 - the group that represents about 2,750 workers at the plant - were unable to reach a tentative contract before a deadline of 10:59 P.M. last night. This is the first time since 1996 that Canadian autoworkers went on strike against an automaker.
"While General Motors of Canada and our Unifor partners have made very positive progress on several issues over the past weeks, the Company is disappointed that we were not able to complete a new agreement. We encourage Unifor to resume negotiations and to continue working together to secure a competitive agreement," GM said in a statement on Sunday.
You might be wondering why a strike is taking place in the first place as GM already worked out a deal with Unifor back in September. That's because Unifor members at CAMI are under a different contract than workers at other plants, meaning they were not involved in the negotiations.
CAMI is home to the Chevrolet Equinox and used to build the GMC Terrain, before being sent down to Mexico. The loss of the Terrain meant 400 workers were laid off, while another 200 workers took early retirement.
Unifor Local 88 President Dan Borthwick said the two sides are very much apart on “language issues, economic issues that are still outstanding, and, most importantly, job security.” Borthwick also said GM wouldn't budge on Unifor's demand by making a long-term commit through new products and investments.
"We put our best foot forward, and we don’t believe the company is serious about our membership’s demands,” he said to Automotive News.
Stalling production at CAMI raises some headaches. As The Truth About Cars note, various operations such as the engine and transmission plant in St. Catharines, Ontario and numerous suppliers will be hampered by this strike.
There are concerns if the strike goes long-term. The popularity of the Equinox and Terrain has been booming thanks to the large increase in crossovers. Data from Automotive News shows that Chevrolet dealers in U.S. had about a 53 day supply of Equinoxes at the start of the month, well below the 74-day supply last month. While GM also builds the Equinox in two plants in Mexico, CAMI is where the majority of the models are built. Through August, the San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe plants in Mexico built a combined total of 40,017 units. Meanwhile at CAMI, 132,288 Equinox models rolled off the line. Losing CAMI for a time could mean a tighter supply of Equinox models.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), The Truth About Cars

Last night, workers at General Motors' CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ontario went on strike. GM and Unifor Local 88 - the group that represents about 2,750 workers at the plant - were unable to reach a tentative contract before a deadline of 10:59 P.M. last night. This is the first time since 1996 that Canadian autoworkers went on strike against an automaker.
"While General Motors of Canada and our Unifor partners have made very positive progress on several issues over the past weeks, the Company is disappointed that we were not able to complete a new agreement. We encourage Unifor to resume negotiations and to continue working together to secure a competitive agreement," GM said in a statement on Sunday.
You might be wondering why a strike is taking place in the first place as GM already worked out a deal with Unifor back in September. That's because Unifor members at CAMI are under a different contract than workers at other plants, meaning they were not involved in the negotiations.
CAMI is home to the Chevrolet Equinox and used to build the GMC Terrain, before being sent down to Mexico. The loss of the Terrain meant 400 workers were laid off, while another 200 workers took early retirement.
Unifor Local 88 President Dan Borthwick said the two sides are very much apart on “language issues, economic issues that are still outstanding, and, most importantly, job security.” Borthwick also said GM wouldn't budge on Unifor's demand by making a long-term commit through new products and investments.
"We put our best foot forward, and we don’t believe the company is serious about our membership’s demands,” he said to Automotive News.
Stalling production at CAMI raises some headaches. As The Truth About Cars note, various operations such as the engine and transmission plant in St. Catharines, Ontario and numerous suppliers will be hampered by this strike.
There are concerns if the strike goes long-term. The popularity of the Equinox and Terrain has been booming thanks to the large increase in crossovers. Data from Automotive News shows that Chevrolet dealers in U.S. had about a 53 day supply of Equinoxes at the start of the month, well below the 74-day supply last month. While GM also builds the Equinox in two plants in Mexico, CAMI is where the majority of the models are built. Through August, the San Luis Potosi and Ramos Arizpe plants in Mexico built a combined total of 40,017 units. Meanwhile at CAMI, 132,288 Equinox models rolled off the line. Losing CAMI for a time could mean a tighter supply of Equinox models.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required), The Truth About Cars

GM’s U.S. August Sales up 7.5 Percent
Total, retail and commercial share up
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, OnStar and GM Financial Expand Hurricane Relief Efforts
DETROIT — General Motors (NYSE: GM) today reported U.S. August deliveries of 275,552 vehicles, up 7.5 percent from a year ago. Retail deliveries were up 4 percent, and the company estimates that it gained more than one-half point of retail market share.
U.S. Commercial fleet deliveries were up 19 percent, and the company has gained domestic Commercial market share for 13 consecutive months. Total fleet deliveries were up 24 percent.
“We had a very strong month, and grew our retail and commercial fleet business on the strength of robust crossover sales at all four of our brands,” said Kurt McNeil, U.S. vice president of Sales Operations. “But our focus is on the unfolding crisis in Texas and what we can do to help our customers, employees, dealers and everyone else impacted by the flooding.”
Alan Batey, president of GM North America, added, “During this crisis, we have seen remarkable acts of bravery and compassion. People are pulling together and helping total strangers like they’ve been neighbors all their lives. It’s inspiring and we are there for all of you.”
Since the storm, GM has marshaled teams from Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, OnStar, GM Financial and Customer Care & Aftersales to help with current and future needs across the region.
Among the initiatives:
GM is offering its OnStar Crisis Assist service to drivers of close to one million GM vehicles in parts of Texas and Louisiana. By pressing the blue OnStar button, customers will be connected to advisors who can provide temporary no-charge access to emergency services, phone and guidance services and 4G LTE Wi-Fi service (provided by AT&T).
GM Financial is assisting impacted customers with payment arrangements and waiving related fees. Eligible customers who are replacing a vehicle may qualify for a 90-day deferred first payment.
The company is moving used vehicle inventory to Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealerships so that people with flood-damaged vehicles have access to rental cars and courtesy transportation.
The Customer Care & Aftersales team, including ACDelco, are working to expedite the shipment of service parts, including electronic components, engines, transmissions and batteries to the region.
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac are offering $1,000 in Disaster Relief Assistance to customers in the most heavily impacted areas of Texas and Louisiana through Oct. 2, 2017. This money can be applied by anyone toward the purchase of a new vehicle, and it can be used in addition to all other retail incentives in the market.
OnStar has handled more than 23,000 calls for assistance from GM customers and is helping to support the American Red Cross with its unusually high call volume because of Hurricane Harvey. GM has donated $1 million to the American Red Cross to provide immediate support to disaster relief efforts around the country, and it has set up a donation web link for employees, who have contributed more than $50,000 in less than four days.
Employees from GM facilities in Arlington and Fort Worth are filling three semi-trailers full of personal care items, bottled water and non-perishable food.
Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac are launching websites to give customers easy access to all of the things the brands are doing to help the recovery effort.
August Retail Highlights (vs. August 2016 unless noted)
Chevrolet
Best August since 2004 and best August crossover month ever.
The Traverse was up 83 percent, for its best month ever.
The Equinox was up 67 percent.
The Trax was up 11 percent, for its best August ever.
The Chevrolet Bolt EV had its strongest sales ever, with 2,052 deliveries.
According to PIN data, the Volt and Bolt EV combined for 46 percent of non-luxury, electric vehicle sales in August.
Silverado LD crew cab was up 21 percent.
The Impala was up 63 percent.
Buick
The Encore, up 31 percent, had its best month ever.
The Envision, up 78 percent, had its best August ever.
GMC
GMC’s ATPs hit a year-to-date record of $43,400, thanks the best-ever mix of Denali models.
August deliveries of the Acadia were up 36 percent, for its best August ever, and sales have now grown year over year for 12 consecutive months.
Sales of the Terrain were up 66 percent, with shipments of the all-new 2018 model starting to grow.
Sierra LD crew cab was up 21 percent.
Cadillac
The XT5 crossover was up 28 percent, for its second best month since launch, bringing the combined SRX/XT5 year to date sales up 10 percent.
August ATP was up nearly $1,400 to $53,300.
Supplemental Data
U.S. inventory levels are down about 85,000 vehicles from the end of June to about 893,000 vehicles.
The company is on track to meet its inventory target, which is to end the year with stocks at or below last year’s level of about 850,000 vehicles, with fewer cars and more trucks, crossovers and utilities in the mix.
According to JD Power PIN estimates, GM’s August incentive spending as a percent of ATP was 13.9 percent, in line with its domestic competitors.
Year to date, GM has the lowest daily rental mix of any full-line automaker at about 8 percent of total sales. GM remains on track to decrease daily rental sales by 50,000 units in 2017.
“Hurricane Harvey did have an adverse effect on deliveries during the last week of August for every automaker but the key U.S. economic fundamentals remain supportive of strong vehicle sales,” said Mustafa Mohatarem, GM chief economist. “With the U.S. economy strengthening, we anticipate retail sales will be strong for the foreseeable future.”